Wasatch Advisors LP Has $291.59 Million Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Wasatch Advisors LP trimmed its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 1.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,881,814 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 28,595 shares during the quarter. Balchem makes up about 1.5% of Wasatch Advisors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Wasatch Advisors LP owned about 0.06% of Balchem worth $291,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. APG Asset Management US Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,164,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,791,512 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $563,987,000 after acquiring an additional 30,868 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 7.7% during the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 258,116 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,995,000 after purchasing an additional 18,459 shares during the period. Heritage Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter worth $226,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in Balchem by 71.0% in the fourth quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 51,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,662,000 after purchasing an additional 21,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Trading Up 3.1 %

BCPC traded up $4.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $158.82. 116,854 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 103,087. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $151.69 and its 200 day moving average is $149.37. Balchem Co. has a 12 month low of $110.74 and a 12 month high of $159.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of 44.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.68.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.05). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. The business had revenue of $239.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.12 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total transaction of $764,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,378,196.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Balchem news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total value of $297,934.05. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $753,407.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total value of $764,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,378,196.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th.

About Balchem

Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets specialty performance ingredients and products for the nutritional, food, pharmaceutical, animal health, medical device sterilization, plant nutrition, and industrial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products.